Duke   University   Libraries 

Response  of  the 
Conf  Pam  #388 

DTTDESflDa+ 


•Sf/  RUT.]  [C.  S.  Senate. 

RESPONSE 


OF   THE 


SECRETARY  OF  THE  TREASURY 

To  the  ResolutioT^  of  the  Senate  of  the  5th  December  1864,  respecting 
Operations  under  the  Act  to  impose  Regulations  upon  the  Foreign 
Commerce  of  the  Confederate  States. 


^  TREASURY  DEPARTMENT,  C.  S.  A. 

Richmond,  Dec.  12,  1S64. 

To  the  President : 

Sir: 

I  have  the  honor  to  s\ibmit  the  following  reply  to  the 
enquiries  contained  in  the  resolutions  of  the  Senate  of  the  5th  in- 
stant, in  relation  to  the  foreign  trade : 

1.  "  Whether  any  and  what  restrictions  have  been  imposed  upon 
the  exercise  of  the  right  of  the  Confederate  States,  or  any  of  them, 
to  export,  on  their  own  account,  any  of  the  articles  enumerated  in 
the  act  entitled  'an  act  to  impose  regulations  upon  the  foreign  com- 
merce of  the  Confederate  States,  to  provide  for  the  public  defence,' 
approved  Gth  February  1864?" 

No  restrictions  whatever  have  been  imposed  upon  the  exercise  of 
this  right  by  the  States.  The  1 0th  article  of  the  Regulations,  adopted 
in  pursuance  of  the  act  of  Gth  February,  provides,  "  that  nothing  in 
the  Regulations  shall  be  construed  to  conflict  with  the  proviso  in  the 
oth  section;  'that  nothing  in  this  act  shall  be  construed  to  prohibit 
the  Confederate  States,  or  any  of  them,  from  exporting  any  of  the 
articles  herein  enumerated,  on  their  own  account.'" 

By  the  1st  and  2d  articles  of  the  Regulations,  it  is  provided,  that 
vessels  belonging  to  private  parties  shall  carry  one-half  the  cargo 
both  outward  and  inward,  on  account  of  the  Confederate  States. 

It  has  sometimes  been  supposed  that  this  provision  operates  as  a 
restriction  upon  the  freedom  of  action  of  the  States.  That  if  a  State 
acquire,  by  purchase  or  charter,  the  use  of  one-fourth  of  a  steamer, 
the  Confederate  States  should  relinquish  an  equol  proportion  of  the 
moiety  claimed  under  the  Regulations,  and  reduce  the  share  reserved 


for  its  use,  to  one-fourth.  This  Dopnitment  does  not%)ncur  in  that 
opinion.  It  is  held,  that  a  vessel  engaging  in  this  trade,  charters  one 
moiety  to  the  governnTOTit,  nnrl  hn«!  v.o  -povror  wIiIIp  she  continues 
therein,  by  a  sale  or  another  charter,  to  deprive  the  govemnient  of 
the  use  of  that  moiety.  The  exercise  of  such  a  power  would  be  in- 
compatible with  the  design  of  the  act  of  February  Gth,  and  in  direct 
violation  of  tiie  ri*'gn]ation.s,  made  in  pursuance  thereof.  It  would 
be  impossible  for  the  government  to  secure  the  use  of  any  portion  of 
a  vessel,  if  the  owner  was  pt-rmitted  thus  to  cilieiuirf  it  at  will. 

Nor  would  it  be  consistent  with  tlie  equality  to  be  observed  among 
the  States,  in  matters  of  common  interest,  that  .this  should  be  con- 
ccdtd.  The  moiety  reserved  by  the  Cou'bdL'nite  States,  is  for  llu'. 
use  aixl  benefit  of  all  the  States,  without  distinction ;  the  cotton  ex- 
ported is  common  property  ;  when  sold,  the  product'is  nearly  all  clear 
gain;  the  supplies  brought  back  in  return  add  little  or  nothing  to 
the  expenditures  of  the  government,  and  are  equally  distributed  among 
the  troops  of  all  the  States  indiscriminately.  But  when  any  part  of 
this  moiety  is  transferred  to  one  State,  it  operates  as  a  relinquish- 
ment of  the  share  of  each  of  the  others,  for  the  benefit  of  that  one. 
The  part  thus  acquired,  is  then  used  to  supply  the  troops  of  that 
State  onl}^ ;  and  as  these  supplies  are  nevertheless  paid  for  by  the 
Confederate  States,  it  follows  that,  besides  making  this  valuable  con- 
cession, those  from  whom  it  is  obtained,  are  drawn  thereby  into  an 
unnecessary  expenditure.  In  other  words,  in  the  one  case,  the  troops 
of  all  the  States  participate  in  the  benefit,  and  without  cost  to  any ; 
in  the  other,  the  benefits  are  confined  to  the  troops  of  one  State,  and 
all  the  others  contribute  to  the  cost,  and  without  any  reduction  being 
made  for  the  profits  on  the  or.tward  cargo. 

2.  "Whether  the  Regulations  made  under  the  first  section  of  said 
act  have  caused  any  diminution  in  the  number  of  vessels  engaged  in 
foreign  commerce?" 

The  Regulations  were  adopted  on  the  7th  of  March,  and  the  largest 
number  of  arrivals  occurred  in  the  months  of  May  and  June  ensuing; 
during  which  period  forty-three  steamers  entered  the  ports  of  Wil- 
mington and  Charleston.  The  prevalence  of  the  yellow  fever,  both 
in  th.e  Islands  and  in  our  own  portf;,  caused  a  serious  interruption  to 
the  trade  during  the  summer  months  ;  but  the  abatement  of  the  epi- 
demic has  been  followed  by  the  immediate  return  of  activity;  and 
from  the  1st  of  November  to  the  (Ith  of  December,  there  have  been 
foriy-three  arrivals  at  the  p.tits  abuve  named.  It  would  appear, 
therefore,  that  no  discouragement  has  been  given  to  the  trade  by  the 
Regulations. 

This  conclusion  is  supported  by  other  evidence ;  the  freight  of  5d. 
per  pound  in  gold,  paid  by  the  government,  is  nearly  equal  to  $  3 
per  pound ;  so  that  the  freight  paid  for  carrying  out  500  bales  of 
cotton  for  the  government,  will  purchase  for  the  vessel  J, 000  bales, 
at  tlje  market  price ;  and  the  great  profit  realized  on  these  terms  is 
exhibited  in  the  enormous  price  commanded  in  the  market,  by  shares 
in  all  the  blockade  stocks. 


3.  "Whether  the  said  Act  of  Congress,  and  the  Regulations  made 
under  its  authority,  have  been  beneficial  or  otherwise,  in  their  effect 
on  the  success  of  our  arms,  and  the  supply  of  means  necessary  for 
the  public  defence ;  also  whether  experience  has  suggested  the  ne- 
cessity of  the  repeal  of  said  act  of  6th  February,  or  any  modification 
.  or  amendnieat  of  its  provisions?" 

My  impressions  arc  that  they  have  been  in  the  highest  degree 
beneficial.  ^ 

Bt'fore  the  passage  of  the  act,  vessels  were  required  to  devote  one- 
third  of  their  tonnage  to  the  use  of  the  government,  by  authority  of 
the  War  Department.  The  principle  was  the  same  as  that  of  the 
Regulations,  and  the  statistics  of  the  two  periods  have  not  been  kept 
separate.  Tlie  following  .summary,  embracing  a  period  of  about 
twelve  months,  from  the  1st  of  November  1S03  to  the  2-3th  of  Oc- 
tober 1864,  exhibits  the  results  attained  under  both.  These  details 
are  derived  from  the  report  of  Col.  T.  L.  Bjayne,  Chief  of  the  Bureau 
of  Foreign  Supplies  of  the  War  Dopartmrnt. 

The  leading  articles  imported  are  as  follows : 

Lead,        -  -  l,4f)0,000  pounds. 

Saltpetre,  -  1,850,000      " 

Meat,        -  -  6,200,000       " 

Coffee,      -  -  408,000       " 

Bools  and  shoes,       -  420,000  pairs. 

Blankets,  -  292,000  pairs. 

Arms,       -  -  136,832  muskets,  rifles  and  carbines. 

Since  the  date  above  mentioned,  viz :  the  25th  of  October,  up  to 
the  Gth  of  December,  further  supplies  of  importance  have  been 
brought  in,  of  which  a  detailed  account  is  appendcf^  marked  A. 

When  tlie  Regulations  were  first  adopted,  each  Department  was 
charged  with  the  duty  of  managing  its  own  exports  and  iniports; 
but  experience  indicated  the  propriety  of  consolidating  these  opera- 
tions, and  placing  the  whole  under  the  control  of  the  Trejisury  De- 
partment. This  was  accordingly  done  on  the  1st  of  July,  and  from 
that  date  to  the  let  of  December,  the  quantity  of  cotton  exported 
was  11,706  bale'*.  Of  this  ouantitv  1;272  bales  were  lost,  and 
10,524  bales  have  arrived  safe  at  foreign  ports.  At  a  moderate  com- 
putation the  value  in  gold  is  ^320,000  sterling,  or  $  1,500,000— a 
sum  capable  of  purchasing  supplies,  of  the  value  in  currency  of 
$45,000,000. 

The  results  attained  appear  to  establish  the  beneficial  character 
and  efFei-t  of  the  act  oi  February  0th,  aiid  the  Regulations  pdopt<'d 
in  pursuance  thereof;  and  I  am  strongly  of  the  opinion  that  neither 
*'  the  repeal  of  the  act,  nor  any  modification  or  amendment  of  its 
provisions,"  have  been  suggested  by  experience  to  be  necessary. 

G.  A.  TRENHOLM, 

Seaetary  of  Treasury, 


FA.] 

Cargoes  received  from  abroad,  on  Government  Account,  from  25<A  October  to  6tU 
December  1864 — Port  of  Wilmington,  N.   C. 


1864. 

Oct.  31 

Hope, 

(captured.) 

Nassau, 

1 

].')  cases  stoel, 
.T  casks  do. 

5  pieces  lignum  vitae, 
1  caHk  glue, 

10  c!i8i»s  cliomicaU, 
8  casks         do. 
3  kegs          do. 
1  bag          do. 

1  bottle  quicksilver, 

2  casks  tools, 
10  oases  hose, 
64  coils  rope, 

3  truhses  twine, 
2  cases  btlting, 

2  bales  canvas, 

3  do.    sole  leather, 

22  cases  zinc,  tools,  &c. 

4  casks  tools, 
2    do.    saws, 

2  cases  do.  &.C. 
12    do.   tools,  sci'ews,  &c.    - 

2  CHsks         do. 
.5  bundles  iron, 

2tt  barrels  oil, 

10  do.      alcohol,                  -• 

3  cases  chemicals, 
1  cask         do. 

15  cases  machinery, 
15    do.    castings, 
200  grate  biirs, 

6  bearers, 
1  boiler, 

1  steam  chest, 
1  cask  picks, 

23  bales  blankets, 
1  case  samples, 

11  cases  steel, 

8  bales  bagging, 
1  bale  twine, 

Navj-. 

6rdnance. 

Engineer. 
Q.M. 

N.  and  M. 
Jno.  Seixas. 

Little  Hattie, 

Nassau, 

213  sacks  saltpetre, 

N. and  M. 

City  of  Petersburg, 

Nassau, 

No  freight  on  government  ac't. 

Beatrice, 

Nassau, 

143  grate  bars, 
10  bales  hosiery, 

3  cages  buutiug, 
1  bale  belting, 

1  ease  screws,  &.C. 

1  case  mill  picks, 

1  case  wire  cloth  and  files, 

4  eases  boots, 

.'SO  barrels  provisions, 
105      do.      beaus, 
1  life  boat, 
6  bearers, 

Ordnancie. 
Q.  M. 
Navy. 

Ordnance. 

Nov.  8 

Talisman, 

Bermuda, 

222  cases  rifles, 

Ordnance. 

6 

AnuHtrong, 

Nassau, 

39;)  barrels  beef, 
70  tierces    do. 
10  bales  bagging, 
70  coils  wire, 

1  life  boat, 

8  bundles  vises, 
23  barrels  hardware, 

6  cases             do. 

1  cask             do. 

Navy. 

Jno.  Seixas. 
Navy. 

Q.M. 

8 

Banshee, 

Nassau, 

23  cases  rifles, 

1  life  boat, 
340  boxes  soap, 
904  barrels  provisions, 

97  bags  coffee, 

11  tierces  do. 

Ordnance. 
Vessel's  ace"  t 

Cargoes  received  from  abrvad,  on  Governinent  Account — Continued. 


t'  ,^  ,  r 


1864. 

-    - 

Nov.  8 

Banshee, 

NaHHau. 

32  barrels  coflee, 
7  casks, 
15  cases  shoes, 

Vc^bel'save't 

0 

A.  E.  J-'iy. 

li.  niiu.la. 

17r!  boxes  baiMii, 
12()  tierces  beef, 
158  barrels  crushed  sugar,     - 
40  coUs  rope, 
18  cases  stationery, 
6  barrels  sugitr, 
1  cask  hams, 

Coiimii>s.iry. 
Private  acc't. 

Blenheim, 

Nassau  (1st  trip). 

No  government  freight. 

-24 

Litile  Ilat-.io, 

Nassau . 

l.'^  barrels  hardware, 
10  cases            " 
7  bundles  vices. 
IS  bellows, 
13  anvils, 
42  barrels  alcohol, 
50  boxes  tin  plate, 

Q.  .M. 
JleJicfll. 

8  cases  stationery, 
:?  casks  copper, 
•1  barrels  tallow, 
1   box  tools, 
1    luinijohn  vaniish, 

B.  Conserip. 
Navy. 

ai 

Old  Dominion, 

Halifax, 

210  barrels  pork, 

Commissary. 

29 

Emma  Henry, 

Bermuda, 

130  sacks  saltpetre, 
50  cases  shoes. 
58  packages, 
18 

N.  and  M. 

Navy. 

Gen.  AVhitiii!- 

ArmHtroug. 

Ben.iuda, 

l.'iTO  cases  preserved  meat, 

10  bales  gunny  cloth, 
200  bundles  irou  ties. 
5  cases  crockery. 

Commissary. 
Selxas. 

S.  Imps  C... 

30 

Vulture, 

Beriuiidn, 

15  cases  rifles, 
15     "      carbines. 

Ordnauce. 

Dec.    1 

Ella, 

Nasi-aii. 

1  case  bismuth. 

Mcdie.nl. 

(beached.) 

117  barrels  ptrk, 

40  tierces  beef, 

30  pcks.  horse  .shoe  uails, 

I  life  boat, 

225  sacks  coftee. 

1  case  spool  cotton, 
2.3  cases  Enfield  rifles. 

Nav.v. 

N.  and  M. 

Navy. 

Ordnance. 

Owl, 

Bermuda,  via  NasBau, 

220  cases  shoes, 
31  bal-sclotli, 
(lO     ■•        shui.s 

161    "       blankets, 

21     "        flannel, 

2     "        hosiery, 

Q.M. 

Virginia, 

Beruuula.  via  NasBau, 

275  boxes  meat, 
7{;  casks  bacon, 

500  bundles  iron  ties. 
30  bales  bagging. 

Conimissarv. 

o 

WUd  Rover, 

Beriiuida.  via  Nassau, 

5  cases  thread, 

1  cask  buckles, 
9  cases  buttons, 

150  packages  lead, 

2  puncheons. 

1  hogshead  shoes. 

117  fuses  bai-on, 

150  barrels  pork, 
7  casks  bridles, 
5  cases  electro  stalls. 

Ordnance. 

N.  and  M. 

Cou^ll)i.s.^aly. 
Ordnance. 

4 

Stag, 

England,  via  Bermuda 

9  eases, 

5  drums, 
24  cases, 
17      " 
75      "      boots, 

7      "      woollens, 
M)      "      rides, 
130  sacks  saltpetre, 

5  tons  pig  iron, 
10  bales  blankets,  • 
27  cases. 

Navy. 
Q.  M. 

Ordnaucf. 
N. nnd  M. 

Navy. 

Cargoes  rcceiocd  Jrotn  abroad,  un  GovtiunienL  Ai.cou.ul — Cuuliuued. 


r»-<'.    4      Huu^B, 


KnglHud,  via  Bermuda, 


Curolino. 


52  bali-s  blnnkpls. 

a     "      cloth, 
26     "      flannel, 
(<P  cPBes  boots, 

7      "      Rt:it!")ii>'ry. 

;)  baleK  paper, 

2  canes  bciotg, 

7      ••      silk. 
?R     "     ainwuiiHioi)  paper. 

'.I  bales 

-  caseg  merchanUiso, 

5  bundleH  sheet  iron, 
l'^  caBkg  I,  foppcr. 

•I  biindlf.-  c'>ppfi-  'jolts, 

i^  ciiRks  \j  tin, 

7      "       pig  lead. 

I*      "       saltpetre, 

7  caHeH  Kiao, 

I'  rasks  metal, 
10  rolls  lead, 
10  bales  blaiiketH, 
UK)  bundles  iron  tics. 


Q.  M. 


Medical. 
Ordnance. 

Kavy. 


Jno.  SeixMi. 


Very  refipocifull v  ^ 


THOS.  L.  BAYNE,  Lt.  Col. 


Cargoes  received  from  abroad,  on  Government  Acrcunt,  from  '2oth  Ocl&ber  1864  t.u 
clate~7ih  Drccinher. — Port  of  Charleston.  ^ 


1364. 
Nov.    1 


Fox, 


Nassau, 


Be;vtricp, 

(Bestr.ivfd  hv  th!" 


Syr-^n. 


Laurel, 
Druid, 


1  cask  rasps,    • 
3i)  kegs  horHo  shoes', 

10  "    bortic  shoe  uai 
S  casks  gpadeg, 

75  cases  shoes, 
]00  tierces  beef, 
a  bales  bagging, 

2  bales  shirts. 
25     "     blaiikoi.--, 

11  '■     cloths, 
2    .'■     caps, 
1  case  thread, 

4(1  cases  shoes, 

1  box  books, 

2  packages  aaiiiplos, 
i  cp.Bo  adhesive  plaaier, 

1  package  sample  p;'.per. 

71  b<TrrrIs  beef. 
.^0  barrels  pork. 
21  case.t  sl^  ••!  .-!...% 
200  bumlles  iron  tie.«, 
5  barrels  alccbul. 

3  casks  axes, 

4  ca.ses     do. 

30  kegs  horse  shoe  uaiN. 

1  cacu  bismuth, 
07  barrels  alcoliol, 
50  boxes  tin  v'':*''- 

5  carboys*  Mci.', 
I  box         do. 

;i  casks  copper, 
7  cases  statioiiL'ry. 

In  ballast. 

50  banolB  beef. 

i:!0  barrels  1a. f, 
liObaru'la  pork, 


N.  r.r.fl  H 


Ei5sini>er. 
Q.M. 
Navy. 
Seixns. 

Q.  M. 


N.1VV. 

John  Sfixas- 

Medical. 

Kngineer. 


N.  and  S! 
Medical. 


>iuvy. 

P..  Con?cTip 


P6RmaliP6« 

pH8.5 


